Insurers are well aware of the claims that can arise as a result of driving while distracted. And if distracted driving seems to be the risk of the day for drivers, it is most notable among teens. Technology in the form of cell phone talking and texting, along with drinking and other factors that cause teens to pay less attention to the road are cause for concern among parents. Yet according to a new survey from
Although both parents of teen drivers worry about their teenager texting or being distracted by friends while driving—73 percent say this concerns them "a great deal"—than the possibility of their children drinking and driving—50 percent—more mothers worry "a great deal" about texting and distracted driving than fathers, by a margin of 75 percent to 69 percent.
The survey also found that 65 percent of moms worry more than dads (54 percent), about their children being at risk from other drivers. Conversely, 55 percent of fathers are concerned about drinking and driving compared to 48 percent of mothers.
Results also revealed that 88 percent of parents in the Northeast are concerned about their teens’ distracted driving, while 76 percent of parents in the West, and 69 percent of parents in the South rated this as a concern. In the Midwest, 66 percent of parents said they were concerned about distracted driving.
"Technology and multi-tasking has made driving today completely different than years ago," says Phil Telgenhoff, field VP with Allstate in California. "Knowing that teens watch what adults do while driving is why it is so important that everyone put down the phones, limit distractions overall and set a good example in the car."
Across the nation, parents overwhelmingly said they trust their own children to drive, but worry about other teenagers on the road—79 percent agree with this statement, while just 17 percent disagree. This far outpaces parental concern about their children's maturity and the responsibility of driving—36 percent worry a "great deal"—and worry over their teen driver causing significant damage to the car—26 percent.
Having your teen learn how to drive from a professional driving instructor is seen as a major contributor to parents’ trust of their youngsters behind the wheel. More than half of American parents—53 percent—say a professional driving instructor would do a better job teaching their children to drive than they would. This is a notable difference from the actual experience of American parents, only 40 percent of whom were taught to drive by a professional instructor.
Eighty percent of parents support state laws that limit when and with whom teenagers can drive, with 54 percent saying they "strongly support" these laws. In this case, 58 percent of mothers strongly support these laws, compared to 48 percent of fathers. A wide majority of parents agree state laws that limit teenage drivers "make it easier for me as a parent to enforce driving rules for teenagers"—81 percent. In the West, nearly three-in-four parents, 72 percent, agree with this sentiment, while 92 percent of parents in the Northeast agree, 81 percent in the South and 78 percent in the Midwest.
Allstate employed FTI Consulting Inc. to conduct a national survey on Sept. 6-8, 2011, of 600 American parents with children under age 18. Survey results have a margin of error of +/- 4.0 percent.
